When Sedgwick received Hooker's order of 9 P.M., 2 May, to cross the river at Fredericks burg, he had already done so and was three miles below the town. It was 11 P.M. when he received the order; he had 14 miles to march before he could reach Chancellorsville, and an enemy barred the way. He had about 23,000 men. His three divisions were commanded by Gens. John Newton, W. T. H. Brooks and A. P. Howe. Brooks was left below Fredericks burg, and Newton led the advance on the town. The night was dark; progress was slow; fre quent halts being made while the skirmishers were feeling the way; it was the gray of the morning when Newton reached the rear and left of Fredericksburg; and as daylight came Marye's Heights were seen to be held by the enemy. Gibbon crossed the river from Fal mouth and reported to Sedgwick with his divi sion, and under cover of a demonstration by Newton, advanced on the right to turn the position, but was stopped by the canal and a concentrated fire of artillery. He found also that Hays' brigade of Early's division and Wil cox's of Anderson's were in his front, and he was obliged to fall back. On the other flank Howe's division failed to make an impression. Nothing remained but to assault the heights and storming columns were formed, Howe forming three on the left and Newton two of two regiments each, strongly supported. These were launched against the Confederate. position and were bloodily repulsed by Barksdale's bri gade. The assault was renewed and Marye's Heights carried about 11 o'clock, with a loss to Sedgwick of nearly 1,000 killed, wounded and missing in a very .few minutes. He took 15 guns and nearly 1,000 prisoners. Here a delay occurred to get Brooks' division up, which was to take the advance, and it was 3 o'clock before Sedgwick marched for Chancellorsville, leaving Gibbon to hold the town and cover the bridges there. His march was impeded by Wilcox, who had regained the road in his front and made a stand half a mile in advance of Salem Church, where McLaws had now come up and formed across the road. Brooks' division advanced and Wilcox fell back to the church, Brooks closely following, and a desperate encounter raged around the church, in which at first Brooks, supported by Newton, was successful, but was finally compelled to fall back after losing 1,500 men. Dispositions were made to renew the struggle, but night came and both sides slept on their arms. Early, who had concentrated his command Cox's, on the telegraph road, south of Fredericksburg, had Lee's permission to attack Marye's Heights and Sedgwick's rear at daylight. He was joined by Barksdale and, as Marye's Heights were held by a small Union force, his attack succeeded. Leaving Barksdale to hold the heights and prevent an advance of Gibbon, who was in the town, Early moved toward Salem Church and asked McLaws to co-operate with him. Meanwhile Lee, retain ing only Jackson's three depleted divisions to confront Hooker at Chancellorsville, led An derson to unite with McLaws and Early, and drive Sedgwick across the Rappahannock, the three divisions aggregating about 21,000 men.
Anderson arrived about noon of the 4th and took position between McLaws and Early. Sedgwick was now hemmed in on three sides, his line in shape of a horseshoe, both flanks on the river covering Banks' Ford. The line was five or six miles in length, Newton, on the right, facing McLaws on the west; Brooks, in the centre, facing south, confronting Anderson, and Howe, on the left, facing east, opposing Early. Skirmishing was kept up during the day, and at 6 o'clock, Lee, after reconnoitering the position, ordered art attack to break the centre. Newton was not seriously attacked but Howe and Brooks were assailed with great spirit, Early, falling upon the former and endeavoring to turn his left, in which he did not succeed, two of his brigades being repulsed and thrown into confusion by Howe's artillery. An attack on Howe's right and Brooks' left was also repulsed. The Confederates continued the contest until darkness .put an end to it. Sedg wick then withdrew from the field to Banks' Ford, where he was covered by 34 guns on the north side of the river, but he had lost so heavily and was hemmed in so closely that, with Hooker's approval, he crossed the river during the night, taking with him nine captured guns and about 1,400, prisoners. His loss, since crossing the river on the 2d, had been 3,200 killed and wounded and 1,500 captured. During the night Gibbon recrossed the river to Fal mouth, and on the morning of the 5th Lee was again in full.possession of the south side of the river below Chancellorsvillc. Early was left to hold Fredericksburg, and Lee marched back with McLaws and Anderson to renew the battle with Hooker. A heavy storm came up, converting dry ravines into torrents and the soil to deep mire, and the attack was deferred Inuit next morning. When day came Hooker had recrossed the river at,United States Ford, and the Army of the Potomac marched to its old camp, and Lee returned to his old position at Fredericksburg. The Union loss at Chan cellorsville was 1,082 killed, 6,849 wounded and 4,214 missing. Including the losses at Fred ericksburg, Marye's Heights and Salem Church, the Union loss in the entire campaign, 27 April to 5 May, was 1,606 killed, 9,762 wounded and 5,919 missing; an aggregate of 17,287. The Confederate loss during the campaign was 1,665 killed, 9,081 wounded and 2,018 captured; an aggregate of 12,764. Consult 'Official Rec ords' (Vol. XXV) ; Hotchkiss and Allan, Thancellorsville ; Doubleday, Abner, 'Chan cellorsville and Gettysburg' ; Bates, S. P., The Battle of Chancellorsville' i Dodge, T. A., 'The Campaign of Chancellorsville); Hamlin, A. C., 'The Battle of Chancellorsville' ; The Century Company's 'Battles and Leaders of the Civil War' (Vol. III).